During this time of year we always try to keep a few dollars handy in our car or our pockets to give to the “bell ringers” outside our local stores. It’s just a way to get into the real spirit of this holiday. Now that we are parents, we thought that it would be a good way to teach the boys about giving and set an example for them to follow as they grow older. Well Katie and the boys made a trip to the grocery store the other day. On their way out of the store, Katie took some money out of her purse and gave it to Ben to place into the little red bucket. She said that he was so excited to hold the few coins in his tiny hands, and she showed him how to put the change into the slot in the bucket. She said that she couldn’t be more proud of him, because when she lifted him up to place the coins into the bucket, he did it with such enthusiasm. A sense of pride came over her at her “little philanthropist.” Wow, what a great parent she was.
The joy of that moment quickly turned into horror when Ben tried to scale the tripod holding the bucket to retrieve HIS money. She had to pull him down, and while he was crying, completely heartbroken about the loss of HIS money, explain to him what the word “give” means.
Let’s hope he grasps the concept of giving so that he doesn’t try to make change when the offering plate is passed at church.
This parenting thing might not be as easy as we had thought.